Untitled.
17 March 1999
![[ ]](http://mbpix.mushroom.net/19990317y.png)
i got my phone bill today. and there's yet another new outrageous charge. the fcc has mandated that phone companies have to make it possible to keep yr number if you stay in the same place but switch to another service provider. and as with everything that the fcc mandates, the telecom lobbies also get a bill passed that says they have the right to pass any charges this new mandate might incur on to customers. so they tack a couple bucks extra a month onto yr phone bill for something that will never cost them nearly that much.
and the kicker is, southwestern bell is still a virtual monopoly. yes you can keep yr number if you switch providers, but if you find a provider willing to take you on as a local residential service customer, it's likely to be too cost-prohibitive to switch anyway.
so i called swb to complain. and the operator told me that no they aren't a monopoly, you've got lots of local options, and that the fcc requires them to charge this fee. i told her i'd look into those "options" 'cause i really don't want to deal with swb anymore, and that no, the fcc doesn't require that they charge for this service, the fcc says they can charge for it, and so of course they do. to the maximum amount allowed by law.
then i set about calling every company listed in the section of the phone book of companies that supposedly offer local service. of the eighteen companies, more than a quarter of them had been bought out or were no longer offering local service or just had just completely dropped off the face or the earth. about half of them only offer business service. and of the remaining companies, they will either send me pricing information (i'm not too sure i'll ever see it), or their rates are even higher than swb's, and/or you have to sign on with them as a long distance provider too. one of them was like $50 a month (prepaid) and you can't have long distance service.
of the quotes i got, only two are less than i'm paying now. one of those is a local/long distance/internet package deal, so that's basically out. the other one says they sub-lease swb's lines, but at a discount. i'll prolly call them back to get some actual numbers. the friendliest operator i talked to works for a company that is no longer in the local service business. forced out by swb, no doubt.
some day i'm just gonna live without a telephone. it's all too much of a headache.
and the kicker is, southwestern bell is still a virtual monopoly. yes you can keep yr number if you switch providers, but if you find a provider willing to take you on as a local residential service customer, it's likely to be too cost-prohibitive to switch anyway.
so i called swb to complain. and the operator told me that no they aren't a monopoly, you've got lots of local options, and that the fcc requires them to charge this fee. i told her i'd look into those "options" 'cause i really don't want to deal with swb anymore, and that no, the fcc doesn't require that they charge for this service, the fcc says they can charge for it, and so of course they do. to the maximum amount allowed by law.
then i set about calling every company listed in the section of the phone book of companies that supposedly offer local service. of the eighteen companies, more than a quarter of them had been bought out or were no longer offering local service or just had just completely dropped off the face or the earth. about half of them only offer business service. and of the remaining companies, they will either send me pricing information (i'm not too sure i'll ever see it), or their rates are even higher than swb's, and/or you have to sign on with them as a long distance provider too. one of them was like $50 a month (prepaid) and you can't have long distance service.
of the quotes i got, only two are less than i'm paying now. one of those is a local/long distance/internet package deal, so that's basically out. the other one says they sub-lease swb's lines, but at a discount. i'll prolly call them back to get some actual numbers. the friendliest operator i talked to works for a company that is no longer in the local service business. forced out by swb, no doubt.
some day i'm just gonna live without a telephone. it's all too much of a headache.